What If
by DDerby95
Summary: There are so many "What If's" in life. And for Bella, one decision could not only change her life, but everyone else as well. What if Bella stayed with Jake, and didn't go to Italy? Frankly we will never know, but here is what might have happened.


What If…. Bella Didn't go to Edward.

"C'mon, let's get you inside," sighed Jake with a tired expression. I unbuckled my seatbelt and Jacob opened his door. I sat patiently, knowing he would want to come around and open mine for me. But to my surprise he scampered back inside and slammed the door.

He looked at my out of the corner of his eye. "Vampire." With that one word my pulse sped and my palms sweated. Even though I was freezing inside and out from my stupid jump off the highest cliff in Forks, my skin felt like it was burning. The edges of the hole throbbed silently, hinting at an attack to come.

_No!_ my mind silently yelled. "V-Victoria?" I stuttered. My mind flashed all of the terrifying images that I would have rather locked away of her hunting, fighting, killing. How did she get here? I bent my head down between my knees in my seat and took deep breathes, trying to gain control while Jake started the engine.

"Get your seatbelt on," he said, but saw my hunched position with my arm placement and decided to pulle mine on himself. My head cleared enough for me to take one last look around to see if Charlie was home yet and in any danger. He must still be at the hospital with Harry's family because the driveway was clear and the only car that looked familiar was a black Mercedes. But it could have been our neighbors for all I knew and I only cared about getting away from Victoria. How did she get past the pack? My mind conjured up multiple stories of the wolves fighting and falling, with not one survivor. My mind blanked and my eyes glazed over as I went into shock, still holding the fear that was threatening to ripple out of me.

I struggled for control with myself and felt the tug of the whole in my stomach return with full force. The pain was unbearable. I felt my heart struggling for a beat as I clamped my arms around my middle for support. I panted quietly in my corner and looked at Jacob with an expression I hoped said "Go". He understood and stepped on the gas.

As we rounded the corner the pain slowly started to recede from the edges, but not enough to take my arms away. The rattling of my truck was comforting, but for extra support I laid my head against Jacob's arm. My personal sun; What would I do without him? His warmth radiated though the car and helped me relax and dull my sense of danger. The pain was still present within me, but Jacob's heat helped me gain control of my fear.

He slid his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer.

"I will protect you." He said more to himself than me, though it helped all the same. I felt much safer with Jacob and knew that once I got to the pack everything would be ok. I would call Charlie and tell him that I was staying at Emily's for the night and wanted him to come as well. He would understand. He would spend the night with Billy watching another round of March Madness while the pack cleared our house.

I laid my head against his chest and took more deep breathes, taking in the smell of pine from his shirt. This helped my head clear much easier than if I had taken any medication. I absently wondered if there was any medicine that used pine as a main ingredient.

We started onto the rocky road to Emily's and I bounced up and down silently in the car. Jacob never spoke again and pushed my truck further along the road. He parked quickly and without much precision next to the others and ripped the key from the engine. He yanked open the door and rushed over to my side. I saw a fire of determination in his eyes as he pulled me under his arm and up against his chest as he led me inside. The wet gravel crunched loudly under our feet. I would have slipped multiple times if Jake didn't have such a strong hold around me.

We walked up the porch and Jake thrust open the screen door, pushed me inside, and backed in while scanning the trees for any signs of vampire. Emily and Sam were in the kitchen fixing up some cookies for the rest of the pack that were stationed around the television with their eyes on the game. I could have ripped a chain saw to life and no one would have taken their eyes away. Boys, what can you do about them? Luckily for me, Jacob wasn't interested in the game as much as the others.

"Sam," he shouted loudly while stalking into the kitchen. "We need to have a meeting, now." I decided I looked like a fool just standing along in the entry way so I plopped onto the couch next to Embry. He was the least bulky and has the most room on the couch next to him. My sense of danger started to fade with the pack of wolves surrounding me. It was comforting to have such idiotic yet strong boys around.

So far the March Madness teams were tied, but I couldn't focus on the game long before Sam, Jake, and Emily came into the room.

"Guys, we got a problem." Sam announced to the blank expressions of the pack.

Jake shook his head and muttered under his breath, "Geese, they have no focus when we're discussing strategy, but when it comes to sports they can't focus enough."

He stomped in front of the TV and stood with his arms crossed and an upset expression plastered on his face.

"Move Jake!" Paul shouted "You're blocking the game!"

"Yeah Jake, Move!" Jared chimed in.

"Did you not hear Sam? He said we got a vampire problem! When I dropped Bella off at Charlie's I smelled their stupid scent all around the house. How could you guys let the red headed chick get through? I thought you guys were on patrol tonight? Bella could have been killed if I wasn't there!"

Jake grabbed the remote and shut the TV off. A loud groan filled the room as all eyes shot daggers at Jake.

"A blood-sucker got past us! We need to get her out of Forks now!"

Jared stood and faced Jake. "It's not our fault Jake. We checked the woods thoroughly after you chased her into the water. We figured since Bella's house is past Emily's we would smell her if she got anywhere close. She must have taken a different route."

Jake grabbed Jared's shirt and hoisted him into the air. "She took a different route! You think this is some joke! Bella could have been killed and it would have been entirely your fault for not watching all the routes!"

I jumped up to help Sam separate the boys before they exploded and destroyed the house, but Embry caught my arm. "Better let Sam handle this one."

"Jake, Jared, calm down," Jake dropped Jared and stepped away to stand behind my seat. He placed a hand protectively on my shoulder and shot a menacing look at Jared.

Sam faced the group, "Quill, Embry," he said with the voice of the Alpha, "I want you to stay here with Bella while the rest of us go and take out the vampire at Bella's."

"What? Why can't we go?" fussed Quill

"Yeah, were always stuck with the babysitting jobs!" cried Embry

His eyes grew and he spoke much louder than necessary. "You're staying here and that's final. Jake, I don't want any trouble out of you. That includes you too Jared." His dismissive tone ended the discussion while the others dragged themselves off the couch and headed out the back door into the slight drizzle.

Jake leaned down and whispered, "Don't worry Bella. She won't get past us again. Well be sure of it this time. Even if I have to do it myself."

"Be careful," I shouted out the back door as he left. Even though I know with the odds in our favor, I didn't want Jake to get injured.

Quill reached over the coffee table and grabbed the remote. The game clicked back on and the boys continued to watch with a more distraught expression than before

"Sorry." I muttered, feeling more like burden than anything else.

"Don't worry about it." Emily said as she passed the plate of cookies to Embry. "They just haven't gotten much action lately and are itching for something to do. They spend most of their days here with me."

I instantly felt better. At least it wasn't me they disliked.

"Oh!" I cried as I jumped off the couch. "I've got to call Charlie and tell him where I am."

"Sure, the phones in the kitchen, but you already knew that." Emily said with a small smile on her face.

I walked into the kitchen which still has the lingering scent of cookies, which I thought was a very homey smell, and picked up the phone.

"Hey Charlie. Yeah I'm going to stay at Emily's tonight. Hey, maybe you could spend the evening with Billy and finish the game? I'm sure he would enjoy it. Alright. I'm sure I can borrow some extra clothes from Emily. NO! I mean, you don't have to go get some from home. Thanks for the thought though. OK, love you too. Bye."

Close call. If Charlie went home he might never come back. The thought sent shivers down my spine at the thought of Charlie in the same room with Victoria.

I walked back to the couch with a slight bit more enthusiasm because this all was working out much better than I hoped. Charlie was going to Billy's, the pack going to make a surprise attack at Victoria, and I get to stay with Emily, Quill, and Embry. I wasn't so thrilled about my part, but I knew it was better than being alone and having the chance of another attack.

My stomach rumbled quietly and my mind absently wondered where the plate of cookies went. I looked over at Quill to see him holding the platter with one last chocolate cookie positioned right in the middle, as though it was waiting for me to eat it. I pushed myself off the couch to retrieve my delicious treat just as Quill reached for the last cookie himself. I ran for the plate knowing if Quill got that cookie it would be gone before I could argue, and tripped on the edge of the carpet. Flailing for something to grab onto, I hit the plate, sailing the cookie into the air. Quill, being the werewolf with extraordinary reflexes, reached out, snatched the cookie, and popped it into his mouth. Pig. Emily was watching my little tragedy and let out a small giggle.

"Ill go make some more cookies. It seems some people can't keep their hands to themselves." Quill turned a bright red as he looked at the empty plate.

"Oh, you wanted the last one?" No Quill, I just ran across the room for fun.

"Nah, its ok. Emily said she would be making more so I'll wait for the next batch."

Quill saw through my lie easily enough. "Oh, sorry Bella."

We lapsed into a silent but relaxed atmosphere as Emily prepared another batch. Embry and Quill hypnotized by the game left me with nothing to do. I wasn't interested in helping Emily and the game couldn't hold my attention away from the thought of the fight back at my place. I was going to resort to pacing the room if I couldn't find anything to hold my attention. What I didn't realize is that my eyelids were slowly starting to droop and I fell into a light sleep that kept my mind blank and relaxed. I didn't even realize I was asleep until Embry was shaking my shoulder.

"Bella, Jake's on the phone for you." I hefted my lids back and saw the room dark with a small light in the corner. The game must have ended because the television was off. I checked the clock on the wall and saw it was almost two in the morning. Emily was asleep on the other couch while Quill was outside scanning the trees. I guessed Embry was with Quill a moment ago.

My limbs were sore and exhausted, but I dragged myself to the kitchen and picked up the phone.

"Jake?" my voice sounded horrible, like an old grandma.

"Hey Bella. We checked your house but Victoria already left. She must have known we were coming. We followed her trail through town but she disappeared along the highway. It's safe for you and Charlie to go home if you want. We have the place guarded in case she decides to come back. We won't let this happen again, I promise. I already called my dad and he said Charlie was on his way. You can stay if you want. I don't think Emily will mind."

"Thanks Jake." I muttered. "Really, I appreciate it. I think I'll stay at Emily's."

"Ok. I'll come see you in the morning."

"Ok. Bye Jake." I hung up the phone and trudged back the couch. I pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and planned to go back to sleep when Jake's words finally hit me. She got away.

I shot up and knew I wasn't going to sleep again anytime soon. Oh no, this was not good. She's found a way through my wall of protection. I'm vulnerable and she could strike at any time.

My hole started to throb and I bent over and started whimpering. I couldn't let the others see this. A wave of pain collapsed over my and blacked out for a couple beautiful moments of peace, but returned to the pain all too soon.

Even though I tried my best to hide my suffering, Embry noticed my hunched over position and came over.

"Bella? Are you alright?"

I managed a pathetic "Yeah."

Embry put his hand on my shoulder. "I know your worried Bella, about Victoria getting through us again, right?" I nodded my head, knowing I couldn't speak through the throbbing. "But this was a onetime fluke. We thought she was gone and we let our guard down. Now we know she's close and were on red alert all the time. We're prepared and won't let it happen again. So you don't have to be scared"

I nodded again, knowing that even his words wouldn't help calm my nerves. Only having Jake here would do anything. I think Embry could tell his words had no effect because he went to talk to Quill on the back porch, then sprinted for the woods. A couple moments later Embry returned without his shirt and a small smile on his face.

Great, now I'm a wimp who needs to rely on others for support. The whole pack knows how pathetically fragile I am and would never treat me the same again.

Just as I was going to hide my face in shame under my blanket, Jake ran in and wrapped his arms around me. I instantly felt better having my personal sun with me. His warmth helped calm both my nerves and sooth the hole in my chest for the second time tonight. He spoke quietly in my ear, telling me everything would be alright; that he wouldn't let her get to me and that Charlie was home safe and sound. Only Jake would be able to calm me as easily as he does. His warmth and his sunny personality keep me afloat in this sinking boat.

So maybe they were right. I was fragile right now. But who wouldn't be when they have a sadistic vampire on their tail intent on killing them and suffering between internal conflicts? Either way, I was glad Embry called Jake. I don't think I would have been able to sleep if he hadn't come. I laid my head against his chest and relaxed as my pain began to dull, like Jake was my morphine for all my broken bones. I drifted silently into a peaceful slumber, knowing Jake would stay with me, protecting me, and keep all my pieces together.


End file.
